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The differences between industrial maintenance technicians and maintenance engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an industrial maintenance technician and a maintenance engineer. Additionally, an industrial maintenance technician has an average salary of $50,649, which is higher than the $47,133 average annual salary of a maintenance engineer.
The top three skills for an industrial maintenance technician include industrial maintenance, hand tools and PLC. The most important skills for a maintenance engineer are plumbing, HVAC, and guest rooms.
| Industrial Maintenance Technician | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $50,649 | $47,133 |
| Hourly rate | $24.35 | $22.66 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 169,569 | 97,957 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An industrial maintenance technician is responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing commercial and industrial machinery in a building or a manufacturing plant. You will perform typical duties that include ensuring all machines function properly through preventative maintenance service, conducting tests to ensure production machinery functions properly, and performing safety checks and routine maintenance. Other duties include collaborating with the production team, preparing maintenance reports, and instructing and guiding new employees. An industrial maintenance technician also assesses the machinery's functionality and fabricates parts for machine upgrades and repair.
A maintenance engineer is responsible for the maintenance of industrial machinery and inspects equipment defects for immediate troubleshooting or replacement as needed. Maintenance engineers install and upgrade system components to improve system optimization and perform diagnostic systems to locate any adjustments. They also conduct routine checks, assist clients with technical faults, and ensure that the equipment works safely for certain operations. A maintenance engineer must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry to address technical malfunctions immediately.
Industrial maintenance technicians and maintenance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Maintenance Technician | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $50,649 | $47,133 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $66,000 | Between $29,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Boehringer Ingelheim | Halliburton |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between an industrial maintenance technician and a maintenance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Maintenance Technician | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Industrial Technology | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between industrial maintenance technicians' and maintenance engineers' demographics:
| Industrial Maintenance Technician | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5% | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 4.7% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 4.4% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |